Misplaced Pages

#874125

165-605: The network was founded by Pat Robertson as the CBN Satellite Service (CBN Satellite Network), an arm of his television ministry, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). When the channel launched on April 29, 1977, it became the first basic cable channel to be transmitted via satellite from its launch and, effectively, the first national basic cable-originated network. Initially, the network offered only religious programs aimed at

330-477: A Christian audience . The offerings on the CBN Satellite Service during its early years included CBN's flagship news/talk show, The 700 Club (which aired three times per day every Monday through Friday in the late-morning and at night), along with programs from many notable and lesser-known television evangelists . As a result, a few televangelists began to produce stripped programs to air on

495-573: A Master of Divinity degree in 1959. He became a born again Christian while having dinner at a restaurant in Philadelphia with author and World War II veteran, Cornelius Vanderbreggen . After his conversion, Robertson left the corporate world and went into ministry. In 1956, Robertson met Dutch missionary Cornelius Vanderbreggen, who impressed Robertson both with his lifestyle and his message. Vanderbreggen quoted Proverbs (3:5, 6), "Trust in

660-529: A charismatic theology not traditionally common among Southern Baptists. He unsuccessfully campaigned to become the Republican nominee in the 1988 presidential election . As a result of his seeking political office, he never again served in an official role for any church. Robertson remained a controversial figure, especially known for evangelical religiocentrism . While he became a recognized and influential public voice for conservative Christianity in

825-520: A joint venture between the Robertson family and John C. Malone , owner of Denver -based cable television provider Tele-Communications Inc. and multimedia firm Liberty Media ) for $ 250 million in convertible securities . The Robertsons paid $ 150,000 to acquire 4.5 million shares and a controlling ownership interest in IFE, with Pat and Tim subsequently purchasing an additional 1.5 million shares. As

990-439: A 2.2 percent average ROA, while wholly owned and controlled affiliates in the U.S. only realized a 0.7 percent ROA." In European law , the term "joint venture" is an exclusive legal concept, better defined under the rules of company law . In France , the term "joint venture" is variously translated as "association d'entreprises", "entreprise conjointe", "coentreprise" or "entreprise commune". A JV can be brought about in

1155-550: A Christian News and TV program broadcast live weekdays on Freeform (formerly ABC Family) from CBN studios, as well as on channels throughout the United States, and on CBN network affiliates worldwide. Robertson retired from The 700 Club in October 2021. The son of U.S. Senator A. Willis Robertson , Robertson was a Southern Baptist and was active as an ordained minister with that denomination for many years, but held to

1320-713: A JV aimed at defining standards or serving as an "industry utility" that provides a narrow set of services to industry participants. Some major joint ventures include United Launch Alliance , Vevo , Hulu , Virgin Media O2 , Penske Truck Leasing , and Owens-Corning . According to Gerard Baynham of Water Street Partners, there has been much negative press about joint ventures, but objective data indicate that they may actually outperform wholly owned and controlled affiliates . He writes, "A different narrative emerged from our recent analysis of U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) data, collected from more than 20,000 entities. According to

1485-590: A balanced budget, and a strong defense. Robertson's campaign achieved a strong second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses , ahead of Bush. He did poorly in the subsequent New Hampshire primary , however, and was unable to be competitive once the multiple-state primaries began. Robertson ended his campaign before the primaries were finished. His best finish was in Washington , winning the majority of caucus delegates. Joint venture A joint venture ( JV )

1650-541: A clause including "Family" as a required part of the name was incorporated into previous carriage agreements for the channel with cable and satellite providers). By 1989, the channel was seen in 47.3 million households, with its distribution jumping to 54 million homes (or 92% of all U.S. households with a cable television subscription) by 1992. At that point, the 1950s sitcoms and westerns that had long been featured on its lineup were scaled back, in favor of more recent drama series as well as cartoons and later, game shows (with

1815-492: A combination of very limited national carriage by cable providers (Boyz Channel and Girlz Channel were each carried in some 100,000 homes in an era when digital cable television was in its infancy) and the controversy that developed over the gender-segregated channels. In April 2000 , Fox Family began airing Major League Baseball (MLB) games in prime time on most weeks during the league's regular season, on an alternating basis with sister network FX . The network – which acquired

SECTION 10

#1732772599875

1980-526: A company. By its formation, the JV becomes a new entity with the implications that: On the receipt of the Certificate of Incorporation, a company can commence its business. This is a legal area and is fraught with difficulty as the laws of countries differ, particularly on the enforceability of "heads of" or shareholder agreements. For some legal reasons, it may be called a Memorandum of Understanding . It

2145-491: A conservative Jewish-American family and her boisterous best friend, raised by a free-wheeling divorced mother) and a programming block for teens, Fox Family's Summer High School Countdown (which introduced the Swedish pop group Play to American audiences). However, the idea was unsuccessful, as a year later, Fox Family was sold to The Walt Disney Company, and State of Grace was only renewed for one more season before it

2310-557: A custom typeface based on that used in the ABC logo for its promotional graphics. The network's programming became focused upon original drama and comedy series primarily aimed at teenagers and young adults, acquired sitcoms and drama series from the 1990s onward, and movies aimed at its new demographic focus; even still, it continued to include programs catering to families in the form of feature films aired as part of its prime time and weekend movie blocks, and holiday specials featured as part of

2475-646: A demographic it began gravitating toward when it transitioned into a basic cable channel in April 1997). The network also relocated its operations to The Walt Disney Company's headquarters in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank , California . Production responsibilities for the network's baseball playoff coverage that originated during its run as Fox Family were assumed by another of ABC Family's new sister networks, ESPN . While Division Series games remained on ABC Family for one additional year due to contractual issues,

2640-464: A family-oriented format, the network began to feature some original and acquired programming aimed at adults during the early evening and in prime time. At that time, Fox Family purchased the syndication rights to the CBS series Early Edition , and two ABC series: My So-Called Life and Step by Step (the latter of which aired on the channel until March 2010 as ABC Family). The channel also acquired

2805-812: A four-year period from 1994 to 1997, it served as the primary sponsor of Ted Musgrave 's #16 Ford Thunderbird in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series . In early 1997, Rupert Murdoch -owned News Corporation entered into discussions to purchase a stake in The Family Channel with International Family Entertainment as a partner, seeking to bring it under its Fox Kids joint venture with Haim Saban . On June 11, 1997, News Corporation purchased International Family Entertainment for $ 1.9 billion. The latter company's assets were split within News Corporation's portfolio: The Family Channel

2970-550: A girl dealing with becoming a teenage mother, and the romantic lives of her friends and family) in 2008. In July 2009, the network earned its best-ever ratings for that calendar month in prime time and in total viewership due to strong viewership posted by The Secret Life of the American Teenager for its sophomore season and the debuts of three new series: the gymnastics -centered freshman drama Make It or Break It , and sitcoms 10 Things I Hate About You (based on

3135-543: A half-hour companion talk show serving as The 700 Club ' s weekday morning lead-in, Living the Life (which was replaced in 2010 by The 700 Club Interactive ), as well as occasional weekend-long CBN telethons (which it continues to do as ABC Family/Freeform, with the latter now airing in the week before the Super Bowl each year). As of December 2011, The 700 Club airs three times per day Monday through Fridays, with

3300-418: A housewife and a musician. At a young age, Robertson was nicknamed 'Pat' by his six-year-old brother, Willis Robertson Jr., who enjoyed patting him on the cheeks when he was a baby while saying "pat, pat, pat". Later, Robertson thought about which first name he would like people to use. He considered "Marion" to be effeminate, and "M. Gordon" to be affected, so he opted for his childhood nickname "Pat". When he

3465-617: A law degree from Yale Law School in 1955, near the top of his class. However, he failed his first and only attempt at the New York bar exam necessary for admission to the New York State Bar Association , which did not deter Robertson because he never intended to practice law anyway. Shortly thereafter he underwent a religious conversion and decided against pursuing a career in business. Instead, Robertson attended The Biblical Seminary in New York , where he received

SECTION 20

#1732772599875

3630-410: A made-for-cable movie about a hockey player who is reborn as a female synchronized skater, as well as the thriller Don't Look Behind You . Fox Family also aired a wide array of Saban Entertainment-produced movies as well as many direct-to-video films from 20th Century Fox (including Richie Rich's Christmas Wish , Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Like Father, Like Santa ). In August 1999,

3795-532: A mix of both original programs like Trivial Pursuit and Shop 'til You Drop , and reruns of older game shows such as the Jim Lange version of Name That Tune and Let's Make a Deal ). In fact, the channel's weekday afternoon game show block consisted of the aforementioned programs along with the later episodes of Split Second and other shows specifically produced for the channel (such as Shopping Spree , Small Talk , Wait 'til You Have Kids and

3960-446: A new late-night talk show produced by The Daily Show alumni Jennifer Flanz and Elise Terrel, an untitled late-night talk show starring Iliza Shlesinger , and Snapshots —a series of pop culture-oriented documentaries co-produced by ESPN Films . Shlesinger's new show, Truth & Iliza , premiered on May 2, 2017. On December 14, 2017, in a historic deal valued at over $ 52 billion, The Walt Disney Company announced it will buy

4125-516: A new trailer and June 7, 2018, premiere date for Marvel's Cloak and Dagger . On November 26, 2018, Freeform's president Karey Burke was promoted to president of the ABC Entertainment Group to replace the outgoing Channing Dungey. Burke's replacement at Freeform will be determined at a later date. On March 27, 2019, Freeform announced that the channel was placing two animated series into development, Betches and Woman World ,

4290-499: A possession of a very small amount of controlled substance. The whole thing is crazy." In 2014, he turned against the legalization of cannabis. In September 1986, Robertson announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States . Robertson said he would pursue the nomination only if three million people signed up to volunteer for his campaign by September 1987. Three million responded, and by

4455-496: A principal disadvantage is absence of an interested and influential Chinese party. As of the 3rd Quarter of 2004, WFOEs had replaced EJVs and CJVs as follows: (*)=Financial Vventures by EJVs/CJVs (**)=Approved JVs These enterprises are formed under the Sino-Foreign Investment Act. The capital is composed of value of stock in exchange for the value of the property given to the enterprise. The liability of

4620-467: A pro-choice candidate who supported gay rights . While usually associated with the political right , Robertson endorsed environmental causes. He appeared in a commercial with Al Sharpton , joking about this, and urging people to join the We Can Solve It campaign against global warming . In January 2009, on a broadcast of The 700 Club , Robertson stated that he was "adamantly opposed" to

4785-417: A public letter challenging Robertson's record in the military. Robertson filed a libel suit against McCloskey but he dropped the case in 1988 in order to devote "his full time and energies toward the successful attainment of the Republican nomination for the president of the United States." Robertson was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1952 upon his return to the United States. He then went on to receive

4950-416: A relationship that lasted until December 2008, when the network discontinued its remaining Saturday morning block, 4Kids TV ). The sale was completed on October 24, 2001. On November 10, 2001, the channel was renamed ABC Family ; the on-air look that it adopted in its final year under Murdoch/Saban ownership as Fox Family was modified for the newly rebranded network in the meantime (including its logo, which

5115-533: A revival of It Takes Two , hosted by Dick Clark ). The Family Channel also began airing more recent scripted series – among them Big Brother Jake , The Adventures of the Black Stallion , Bordertown , Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop , Maniac Mansion and The New Zorro , as well as the family-friendly music video series Videosyncrasy – many of which aired as part of "The Positive Place",

History of Freeform - Misplaced Pages Continue

5280-505: A series from ABC Signature and Marvel Television based on the comic book series Cloak and Dagger , marking the first work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have been developed for the network. Marvel Television had a Cloak and Dagger and Mockingbird-based series in development for the network as early as 2011. Freeform also announced several new non-scripted productions in development, including Later Bitches ,

5445-495: A staple of the lineup being Christmas-themed specials from the Rankin-Bass library (among them, The Little Drummer Boy and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town ), although it also features mostly holiday-themed theatrically-released and original made-for-TV movies, and other original programming. The "25 Days of Christmas" continued to air on the rebranded ABC Family following the sale to Disney in 2001, and expanded into include

5610-414: A stipulation of the sale to International Family Entertainment, the channel was required to continue to carry The 700 Club (a stipulation that Pat Robertson also imposed when the channel was sold to Fox Family Worldwide in 1997 and then to The Walt Disney Company in 2001). This time-buy clause (which also mandates that the program air at suitable time slots that would allow it to attract decent viewership)

5775-532: A sub-block that runs during late November, "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas", beginning in 2007. On May 15, 2018, Freeform renamed the Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas block to Kickoff to Christmas, meaning that the block now starts on November 1 and lasts throughout the whole month of November. On September 1, 2000, Fox Family adopted a new visual style, as part of an attempt to refocus its programming to attract an older audience. While in essence, it maintained

5940-469: A successful comedy series, with many of the sitcoms that debuted from 2008 to 2012 (including Roommates , State of Georgia and Ruby and the Rockits ) not lasting more than one season and 10 Things I Hate About You being one of the only comedies among that crop to even be renewed for a second season. 2010 saw the debut of its most successful original series, the drama Pretty Little Liars , which

6105-453: A third of its daily schedule. Entertainment programming that aired on the channel during this period included various classic television series (consisting of classic sitcoms from the 1950s and westerns from the 1950s and 1960s such as My Little Margie , Wagon Train , The Virginian and Bachelor Father ), reruns of game shows , older movies, and some family-oriented drama series. CBN Cable also produced its first original series with

6270-403: A weekend game show block that debuted on the channel in October 1996), following IFE's sale of its 61% controlling interest to Flextech in April 1996. In addition, in the United States, The Family Channel attempted to launch a spin-off network with a very similar format to that which the U.K. Family Channel evolved into; The Game Channel was intended as an interactive game show-oriented channel that

6435-547: A weekly block on Sunday early-evenings that ran from 1991 to 1994. On September 11, 1989, the CBN Family Channel launched "Fun Town", a daily children's program block featuring content from DIC Enterprises . Under its programming deal with the company, DIC would produce four specials per quarter that would air on the channel, including holiday specials and a film version of the animated series The New Archies , although those plans would not occur. In March 1992,

6600-417: A younger demographic. Rich Cronin , who was appointed as the network's president and CEO , said regarding the channel's audience refocusing, "our focus is on younger families, more suburban or urban, more plugged into pop culture ". Fox Family was obligated to continue airing The 700 Club as part of the sale, but the program's airings were scaled back to two times each day (though the sale agreement required

6765-630: Is a "spiritual symbol that must not be given away" because " Jesus Christ the Messiah will come down to the part of Jerusalem that the Arabs want," and this would be "not good." Robertson repeatedly called for the legalization of cannabis , saying that it should be treated in a manner analogous to the regulation of alcoholic beverages and tobacco . Robertson stated that "I just think it's shocking how many of these young people wind up in prison and they get turned into hard-core criminals because they had

History of Freeform - Misplaced Pages Continue

6930-487: Is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership , shared returns and risks , and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to access a new market, particularly emerging market ; to gain scale efficiencies by combining assets and operations; to share risk for major investments or projects; or to access skills and capabilities. Most joint ventures are incorporated, although some, as in

7095-404: Is allowed to enter into contracts with appropriate government authorities to acquire land use rights, rent buildings, and receive utility services. In this it is more similar to a CJV than an EJV. WFOEs are expected by PRC to use the most modern technologies and to export at least 50% of their production, with all of the investment is to be wholly provided by the foreign investor and the enterprise

7260-484: Is also suggested that News Corporation hired more employees than were needed, and when Disney took ownership, as many as 500 people were laid off (this was also at a time when The Walt Disney Company itself was downsizing, as the company had laid off 400 other employees from its failed Go Network web portal). Fox Family also used many freelancers for certain aspects of the channel's operations and programming, such as its short-lived "block jocks" (which were on-air hosts that

7425-538: Is based on the series of young adult mystery novels by Sara Shepard ; the program successfully broke series premiere ratings records for ABC Family, across all major viewing demographics of women and young people, premiering to an audience of 3.1 million viewers on June 8 of that year. The show's success led to the development of two shorter-lived series based on Shepard's young adult novels, The Lying Game (which ran from 2011 to 2013) and Ravenswood (which aired for one season from 2013 to 2014). That summer also saw

7590-604: Is described below. The EJV Law is between a Chinese partner and a foreign company. It is incorporated in both Chinese (official) and in English (with equal validity), with limited liability. Prior to China's entry into WTO – and thus the WFOEs – EJVs predominated. In the EJV mode, the partners share profits, losses, and risk in equal proportion to their respective contributions to the venture's registered capital. These escalate upwardly in

7755-470: Is done in parallel with other activities in forming a JV. Though dealt with briefly for a shareholders' agreement , some issues must be dealt with here as a preamble to the discussion that follows. There are also many issues which are not in the Articles when a company starts up or never ever present. Also, a JV may elect to stay as a JV alone in a "quasi partnership" to avoid any nonessential disclosure to

7920-470: Is what will happen if the firm is dissolved, if one of the partners dies, or if the firm is sold. Often, the most successful JVs are those with 50:50 partnership with each party having the same number of directors but rotating control over the firm, or rights to appoint the Chairperson and Vice-chair of the company. Sometimes a party may give a separate trusted person to vote in its place proxy vote of

8085-515: Is within his total control. WFOEs are typically limited liability enterprises. Like with EJVs, but the liability of the directors, managers, advisers, and suppliers depends on the rules which govern the Departments or Ministries which control product liability, worker safety or environmental protection. An advantage the WFOE enjoys over its alternates is enhanced protection of its know-how but

8250-474: The Black-ish spin-off Grown-ish ). Tom Ascheim explained that with the rebranding, Freeform was "purposefully and passionately moving our brand forward by defying expectations and dismantling conventions; busting stereotypes of theme, cast and culture in service to a more inclusive world on and off screen." The network also unveiled upcoming series in development, such as Scott Stewart 's Augs , as well as

8415-486: The 1998 film of the same name ) and Ruby & The Rockits (intended in part to serve as a starring vehicle for David Cassidy , whose brother, Shaun Cassidy , served as one of its executive producers ); the strong ratings were also buoyed by its broadcast of extended cuts of films from the Harry Potter franchise and the television premiere of Labor Pains . However, the channel continually struggled to launch

SECTION 50

#1732772599875

8580-699: The Christian Coalition , a 1.7-million-member Christian right organization that campaigned mostly for conservative candidates. Billy McCormack , a Southern Baptist pastor in Shreveport , Louisiana , served as one of the four directors of the coalition as well as its vice president. The coalition was sued by the Federal Election Commission "for coordinating its activities with Republican candidates for office in 1990, 1992 and 1994 and failing to report its expenditures," yet

8745-548: The Fox Kids program library. At launch, Fox Family had four themed kids daytime blocks: "Morning Scramble/Weekend Chill" (all ages), "Captain Kangaroo's Treasure House" (pre-schoolers), "Toon-A Casserole" (all-animation) and "The Basement" (a three-hour after-school block). Original series meant for family co-viewing were programmed from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. followed by a movie. Fox Family's original programming budget

8910-486: The World Trade Organization (WTO) around 2001 has had profound effects on foreign investment. Not being a JV, they are considered here only in comparison or contrast. To implement WTO commitments, China publishes from time to time updated versions of its "Catalogs Investments" (affecting ventures) prohibited, restricted. The WFOE is a Chinese legal person and has to obey all Chinese laws. As such, it

9075-464: The oil and gas industry , are "unincorporated" joint ventures that mimic a corporate entity. With individuals, when two or more persons come together to form a temporary partnership for the purpose of carrying out a particular project, such partnership can also be called a joint venture where the parties are " co-venturers ". The venture can be a business JV (for example, Dow Corning), a project/asset JV intended to pursue one specific project only, or

9240-433: The "13 Nights of Halloween" in 2002, under Disney/ABC ownership – introduced the original comedy series The New Addams Family , the unscripted series Scariest Places on Earth (hosted by Exorcist star Linda Blair , focusing on places infamous for frightening urban legends ) and some new movies such as Casper Meets Wendy (the latter of which would become a staple of the block for several years, particularly during

9405-450: The "constitution" of a company in these countries. The articles of association regulate the interaction between shareholders and the directors of a company and can be a lengthy document of up to 700,000 or so pages. It deals with the powers relegated by the stockholders to the directors and those withheld by them, requiring the passing of ordinary resolutions , special resolutions and the holding of Extraordinary General Meetings to bring

9570-473: The "formation" of their lives, and to reflect a participatory experience for viewers across multiple platforms. This culminated in the Disney–ABC Television Group 's announcement on October 6, 2015, that the network would rebrand as Freeform . The move, which took effect on January 12, 2016 (coinciding with the winter premiere of the second half of Pretty Little Liars ' s sixth season and

9735-448: The 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time period formerly occupied by Jetix, with the morning airing of the 700 Club / Living the Life block being pushed back a half-hour further to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time (the former two-hour slot was occupied entirely by sitcoms until 2015, when it switched to a mix of comedy and drama series in that period and the succeeding 9:00 a.m. Eastern half-hour, which had been occupied by sitcom reruns since

9900-619: The CBN Cable Network had grown from 28 million households in May 1985 to 35.8 million in May 1987. On August 1, 1988, the word "Family" was incorporated into the channel's name to better reflect its programming format, rebranding as The CBN Family Channel . On January 8 of that year, CBN spun off The CBN Family Channel to International Family Entertainment Inc. (a newly formed company founded by Pat Robertson's eldest son and CBN Family network president, Timothy Robertson, and operated as

10065-410: The CBN Cable Network identity – in their effort to contemporize the channel, and never really replaced the core audience due to the absence of planning on how to retain that segment of the network's pre-acquisition viewer base, while simultaneously attracting new viewers. As a result, prime time viewership declined by 35% over the course of Fox Family's three-year tenure under Murdoch/Saban ownership. It

SECTION 60

#1732772599875

10230-593: The Christian Broadcasting Network sold its interest in International Family Entertainment, when the company announced plans to become publicly traded , selling 6.66 million shares valued at $ 100 million, at a price between $ 14 and $ 16 per share (however, Pat Robertson retained ownership of 3.6 million shares in IFE until the company's sale to News Corporation); IFE would also sell 3.33 million shares of stock to

10395-459: The DOC data, foreign joint ventures of U.S. companies realized a 5.5 percent average return on assets (ROA), while those companies' wholly owned and controlled affiliates (the vast majority of which are wholly owned) realized a slightly lower 5.2 percent ROA. The same story holds true for investments by foreign companies in the U.S., but the difference is more pronounced. U.S.-based joint ventures realized

10560-640: The Founder at board meetings. Recently, in a major case the Indian Supreme Court has held that Memorandums of Understanding (whose details are not in the articles of association) are "unconstitutional" giving more transparency to undertakings. A JV is not a permanent structure. It can be dissolved when: Joint ventures are risky forms of business partnerships . Literature in business and management has paid attention to different factors of conflict and opportunism in joint ventures, in particular

10725-718: The Fox Kids programming library, ironically resulting in the Fox Broadcasting Company losing the rights to its own children's programming to the owner of one of its network competitors, ABC (which Disney had purchased in February 1996, through its acquisition of the network's corporate parent Capital Cities/ABC , which changed its corporate name to ABC, Inc. upon becoming a Disney subsidiary; Fox would subsequently enter into an outsourcing agreement with 4Kids Entertainment to produce its children's programming blocks,

10890-464: The JV's life, giving the option to the foreign investor, by holding higher equity, obtains a faster rate of return with the concurrent wish of the Chinese partner of a later larger role of maintaining long-term control. The parties in any of the ventures, EJV, CJV or WFOE prepare a feasibility study outlined above. It is a non-binding document – the parties are still free to choose not to proceed with

11055-604: The Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths", which Robertson considered being the "guiding principle" of his life. In 1961, he was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister by Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk, Virginia . In 1960, Robertson established the Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach, Virginia , by buying

11220-630: The TV pilot sitcom Help Wanted; the channel also carried English-dubbed versions of Honey, Honey and Leo the Lion . Religious programming retained a sizeable portion of CBN Cable's schedule; in addition to continuing to run weekday airings of The 700 Club , non-CBN-produced ministry programs were relegated to Saturday and Sunday evenings, and Sunday mornings, encompassing only 22% of the network's programming lineup by 1990. The channel's decision to mix secular and religious programs within its schedule mirrored

11385-511: The U.S. and around the world, his opposition to various progressive causes, including LGBT rights , feminism , and the right to abortion , was frequently criticized. Marion Gordon Robertson was born on March 22, 1930, in Lexington, Virginia , into a prominent political family, the younger of two sons. His parents were Absalom Willis Robertson (1887–1971), a conservative Democratic Senator , and Gladys Churchill ( née Willis; 1897–1968),

11550-667: The UK, owing to Robertson's controversial views on homosexuality. The Bank was forced to cancel the deal when Robertson described Scotland as a "dark land overrun by homosexuals". While some have estimated his wealth to have been between   $ 200   million and $ 1 billion, Robertson claimed that these estimates were not based on any facts and were incorrect. A June 2, 1999, article in The Virginian-Pilot alleged that Robertson had business dealings with Liberian president Charles Taylor , with whom Robertson, according to

11715-536: The US) covering know-how and trademarks and supply-of-equipment agreements. The minimum equity is prescribed for investment truncated, where the foreign equity and debt levels are: There are also intermediary levels. The foreign investment in the total project must be at least 25%. No minimum investment is set for the Chinese partner. The timing of investments must be mentioned in the Agreement and failure to invest in

11880-534: The United Kingdom, and Africa. He struck a deal with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -based General Nutrition Center to produce and market a weight-loss shake he created and promoted on The 700 Club . In 1999, Robertson entered into a joint venture with the Bank of Scotland to provide financial services in the United States. However, the venture fell through as it was met with criticism from civil rights groups in

12045-630: The aftermath of the Rwandan genocide , Robertson solicited donations to provide medical supplies to refugees in neighboring Zaire (present-day Congo), where Robertson also had exploratory diamond mining operations. According to a 1999 article in The Virginian-Pilot , two Operation Blessing pilots who were interviewed alleged that the organization's planes were used to haul diamond-mining equipment to Robertson's mines in Zaire. Robertson denied

12210-436: The ages of 14 and 34 as opposed to families or teenagers, as well as adopting new branding (including a new name). On April 14, 2015, ABC Family executives announced during the channel's 2015–16 upfront presentation, that it would establish a firm focus on teenagers and young adults between the ages of 14 and 34 – a group representatives termed "becomers", instead of the standard " millennials ", to describe young people who are in

12375-575: The article, negotiated a multimillion-dollar contract for gold mining operations in Liberia. Robertson denied any business dealings with Taylor, and he also denied ever speaking to President George W. Bush about Taylor's alleged activities. On February 4, 2010, at his war crimes trial in the Hague , Taylor testified that Robertson was his main political ally in the U.S., while Robertson has denied ever meeting or speaking to Charles Taylor. Beginning in

12540-464: The associated talk shows that have preceded it in its initial morning time slot since News Corporation acquired the channel years prior, either on-air or on its website. In August 2006, ABC Family shifted towards a dual audience once more with teenagers and young adults becoming the primary target demographic of its programming. As part of the shift, the channel introduced a new slogan ("A New Kind of Family") as part of an imaging package that incorporated

12705-464: The biggest strategic errors made during the latter years of Michael Eisner 's tenure as president of the company. No one within ABC's management staff was consulted by Walt Disney Company executives about the company's plans to purchase Fox Family, with the acquisition being conducted by Disney's strategic planning department. The company's original plan for the channel was to use it for the primary purpose of showing reruns of ABC programming; however, this

12870-411: The block. Two years before the launch of its Halloween programming lineup, in 1996, what was then The Family Channel launched the " 25 Days of Christmas ", a four-week holiday-themed program block running annually during the month of December, formally starting on December 1 and continuing until Christmas Day on December 25. The block was carried over to Fox Family under News Corporation ownership, with

13035-461: The cases, the status of the formed enterprise is that of a legal Chinese person which can hire labor directly as, for example, a Chinese national contactor. The minimum of the capital is registered at various levels of investment. Other differences from the EJV are to be noted: Convenience and flexibility are the characteristics of this type of investment. It is therefore easier to find co-operative partners and to reach an agreement. With changes in

13200-419: The channel experienced its highest total viewership at that point in its history, with the premiere of the made-for-TV romantic/family comedy Au Pair . In October 1998, Fox Family introduced one of its most successful programming concepts, "The 13 Days of Halloween," a two-week-long block beginning each year on October 19, leading into Halloween on October 31. This block – which was subsequently rebranded as

13365-420: The channel hired to present its afternoon children's programs); most of the monikers for the network – including the slogans "You Belong" and "It's Electric" – were created by freelance artists. On July 23, 2001, News Corporation and Saban announced that Fox Family Worldwide Inc. would be sold to The Walt Disney Company for $ 2.9 billion; consequently, the unit would be renamed ABC Family Worldwide Inc. following

13530-489: The channel plans to increase the amount of original programming on its schedule through 2020. The retention of The 700 Club and The 700 Club Interactive on its lineup was particularly notable – even though the socially conservative views that have been expressed during the programs conflict with the culturally progressive /adult content of some of the channel's secular programming – as network executives were unable to reach an agreement with Pat Robertson and CBN to terminate

13695-414: The channel to air it three times daily, once each in the morning, late-evening and overnight hours), with the evening broadcast being moved out of prime time , and pushed one hour later to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time (from 10:00 p.m.). Programming that appealed to children and teenagers was also greatly expanded on the channel. Fox Family added more animated series to the lineup, many of which came from

13860-412: The channel's agreement with the ministry, but could not agree to terms as Robertson wanted a higher payout that ABC Family president Ascheim deemed "astronomical" in comparison to its actual value. The distancing of the two entities extends further as the channel's management does not regularly discuss their programming strategy with CBN, nor has the channel actively promoted its airings of The 700 Club or

14025-425: The channel, Fox Family Films, which produced motion pictures targeted at different age groups, mainly towards children; the titles included Addams Family Reunion , which aired during Fox's inauguration of the channel under the initial format as Fox Family, and Digimon: The Movie , which was compiled from several Japanese Digimon short films. Aimed a more teenage audience, Fox Family Films created Ice Angel ,

14190-478: The company buy out his 49.5% interest in Fox Family Worldwide on December 21, 2000. Some observers believe that the network chased away some of its older viewers when, without notice, News Corporation/Saban removed all of the older programming that it aired as The Family Channel – especially western reruns, which made up the bulk of its weekday and weekend schedule, dating back to its existence under

14355-646: The complaint was dismissed by a federal judge. In March 1986, he told Israeli Foreign Affairs that South Africa was a major contributor to the Reagan administration 's efforts to help the anti- Sandinista forces. In 1994, the Coalition was fined for "improperly [aiding] then Representative Newt Gingrich (R- GA ) and Oliver North , who was then the Republican Senate nominee in Virginia." Robertson

14520-416: The contractual rights to broadcast select CBN programs, as mandated by the ministry under International Family Entertainment's previous sale agreement with Fox. However, ABC Family would move to distance itself from The 700 Club out of concern over potential viewer blowback following a series of controversial remarks made by Robertson on the program in the years following the channel's purchase by Disney about

14685-622: The death of Mao Zedong in 1976, initiatives in foreign trade began to be applied, and law applicable to foreign direct investment was made clear in 1979, while the first Sino-foreign equity venture took place in 2001. The corpus of the law has improved since then. Companies with foreign partners can carry out manufacturing and sales operations in China and can sell through their own sales network. Foreign-Sino companies have export rights which are not available to wholly Chinese companies, as China desires to import foreign technology by encouraging JVs and

14850-522: The debut of its first comedy hit, Melissa & Joey (a domestic sitcom in the vein of Who's the Boss? that starred Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence , who previously co-starred in the 2009 ABC Family original movie Holiday in Handcuffs , as a city councilwoman raising her imprisoned brother's teenage children and the stockbroker she hired to serve as their housekeeper); the series would become

15015-503: The directors' decision to bear. A Certificate of Incorporation or the Articles of Incorporation is a document required to form a corporation in the U.S. (in actuality, the state where it is incorporated) and in countries following the practice. In the US, the "constitution" is a single document. The Articles of Incorporation is again a regulation of the directors by the stock-holders in

15180-564: The discovery of their accidental placement under different parents following their birth), which was watched by 3.3 million viewers. ABC Family followed the success it had with Melissa & Joey with the June 2012 debut of Baby Daddy . In January 2013, the Jennifer Lopez -produced alternative family drama The Fosters spurred audience interest, premiering to 3.1 million viewers; the series also saw critical acclaim for its portrayal of

15345-567: The division of Jerusalem between Israel and the Palestinians . He also stated that Armageddon was "not going to be fought at Megiddo " but would be the "battle of Jerusalem," when "the forces of all nations come together and try to take Jerusalem away from the Jews. Jews are not going to give up Jerusalem – they shouldn't – and the rest of the world is going to insist they give it up." Robertson added that Jerusalem

15510-406: The existing 10:00 a.m. live telecast and 11:00 p.m. rebroadcast having been joined by an additional repeat at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time as part of the network's paid programming block, which runs from 2:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. A CBN spokesperson has stated “ The 700 Club will continue to air now and in perpetuity on the network, no matter what the name.” Fox created a film division for

15675-704: The first animated series since changing its name from ABC Family. On June 4, 2018, Freeform canceled Shadowhunters after three seasons. The two-part series finale aired on May 6, 2019. On September 27, 2019, Freeform canceled Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists after one season. On October 24, 2019, Freeform canceled Marvel's Cloak & Dagger after two seasons. Pat Robertson Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Marion Gordon " Pat " Robertson (March 22, 1930 – June 8, 2023)

15840-403: The first original sitcom in the network's history to get a third season renewal and ended its run in May 2015 as the first original series in the channel's history to reach 100 episodes . On June 6, 2011, the channel broke total and demographic viewership records again with the series premiere of the drama Switched at Birth (centering on two teenagers whose families are brought together after

16005-653: The first round of the MLB playoffs, the Division Series , which did not air on Fox. Among the games that aired on Fox Family included one between the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros on October 4, 2001, in which Barry Bonds hit his 70th home run of the season, tying the all-time single season record that Mark McGwire had set only three years earlier (Bonds would break the record

16170-471: The following major ways: In the UK , India , and in many common law countries, a joint-venture (or else a company formed by a group of individuals) must file its memorandum of association with the appropriate authority. This is a statutory document which informs the public of its existence. It may be viewed by the public at the office in which it is filed. Together with the articles of association , it forms

16335-418: The following night). As part of a stipulation negotiated into International Family Entertainment's sale agreement with Fox Entertainment Group by Pat Robertson, Fox Family aired The 700 Club twice every weekday: a live broadcast at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and a repeat at 11:00 p.m. Eastern. In addition, through other programming requirements stipulated by CBN through the deal, the network also aired

16500-423: The government or the public. Some of the issues in a shareholders' agreement are: There are many features which have to be incorporated into the shareholders' agreement which is quite private to the parties as they start off. Normally, it requires noтуОЧ submission to any authority. The other basic document which must be articulated is the Articles, which is a published document and known to members. This repeats

16665-657: The headquarters command of the First Marine Division ," says Robertson. "The Division was in combat in the hot and dusty, then bitterly cold portion of North Korea just above the 38th Parallel later identified as the 'Punchbowl' and 'Heartbreak Ridge'." For Robertson's service in the Korean War , he was awarded three Battle Stars . In 1986, former Republican Congressman Paul "Pete" McCloskey Jr. , who served with Robertson in Camp Pendleton, wrote

16830-434: The highest viewership in the network's history; that same year also saw another freshman series, the college-set dramedy Greek (centering on the relationships between groups of fraternity and sorority members), pull in strong ratings. The viewership record set by Kyle XY was later broken by the series premiere of the teen dramedy The Secret Life of the American Teenager (starring a then-unknown Shailene Woodley as

16995-567: The indicated time, draws a penalty. Co-operative Joint Ventures (CJVs) are permitted under the Sino-Foreign Co-operative Joint Ventures. Co-operative enterprises are also called Contractual Operative Enterprises. The CJVs may have a limited structure or unlimited – therefore, there are two versions. The limited-liability version is similar to the EJVs in status of permissions – the foreign investor provides

17160-539: The influence of parent control structure, ownership change, and volatile environment. Government procurement regulations, such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in the United States, may specify how joint ventures are to be approached as suppliers or confirm that a joint venture or other form of contractor partnering is seen as a "desirable" arrangement for supplying to government. The FAR states that The Government will recognize

17325-405: The integrity and validity of contractor team arrangements [including joint ventures], provided the arrangements are identified and company relationships are fully disclosed in an offer or, for arrangements entered into after submission of an offer, before the arrangement becomes effective. The Government will not normally require or encourage the dissolution of contractor team arrangements. Under

17490-719: The latest technologies. Under Chinese law, foreign enterprises are divided into several basic categories. Of these, five will be described or mentioned here: three relate to industry and services and two as vehicles for foreign investment. Those five categories of Chinese foreign enterprises are: the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Ventures (EJVs), Sino-Foreign Co-operative Joint Ventures (CJVs), Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises (WFOE), although they do not strictly belong to Joint Ventures, plus foreign investment companies limited by shares (FICLBS), and Investment Companies through Foreign Investors (ICFI). Each category

17655-416: The latter part of the 1990s, Robertson raced thoroughbred horses under the nom de course Tega Farm. His gelding named Tappat won the 1999 Walter Haight Handicap at Laurel Park and the 2000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup Handicap at Penn National Race Course . Following this success, Robertson paid $ 520,000 for a colt he named Mr. Pat. Trained by John Kimmel , Mr. Pat was not a successful runner. He

17820-464: The launch of Jetix). As part of the rebranding, ABC Family restrategized to increase its viewership by ramping up production of its original movies and series. The channel began experiencing relative success in 2006, with the debuts of the drama series Wildfire and Lincoln Heights . Further success came in 2007, with the fantasy drama Kyle XY (centering on a humanoid taken in by a suburban family, who tries to discover his identity), which earned

17985-480: The law, it becomes possible to merge with a Chinese company for a quick start. A foreign investor does not need to set up a new corporation in China. Instead, the investor uses the Chinese partner's business license, under a contractual arrangement. However, under the CJV, the land stays in the possession of the Chinese partner. There is another advantage: the percentage of the CJV owned by each partner can change throughout

18150-426: The license of a defunct UHF station in nearby Portsmouth . The station, with the call sign WYAH-TV , first broadcast on October 1, 1961. The network became known for producing the long-running TV series The 700 Club , starting in 1966, which Robertson served as a long time co-host. On April 29, 1977, CBN launched a religious cable network , the CBN Satellite Service, which eventually became The Family Channel. It

18315-425: The majority of 21st Century Fox , bringing Freeform reunited under common ownership with 20th Century Fox and FX Networks after 16 years. On January 18, 2018, Freeform unveiled a new logo and slogan, "A Little Forward", and officially rebranded on March 6, 2018. The new slogan reflects refinements to the network's programming direction, with a larger focus on "forward-looking" series (such as The Bold Type and

18480-402: The majority of funds and technology and the Chinese party provides land, buildings, equipment, etc. However, there are no minimum limits on the foreign partner which allows him to be a minority shareholder. The other format of the CJV is similar to a partnership where the parties jointly incur unlimited liability for the debts of the enterprise with no separate legal person being created. In both

18645-506: The ministry's time-buy contract with the channel. While meeting to negotiate a buy out of the programming agreement prior to the rebranding announcement, Robertson had declined a $ 42-million termination offer by Disney–ABC (an amount roughly equivalent to the ministry's earnings from syndication fees for The 700 Club and various related productions during 2015) and stipulated a higher payout that Ascheim deemed "astronomical" in comparison to its actual value. On April 7, 2016, Freeform ordered

18810-573: The most successful programming blocks to date for the channel as ABC Family, and will be carried over under the Freeform brand. On May 15, 2018, Freeform renamed the block to 31 Nights of Halloween, meaning that the block now starts on October 1 and lasts throughout the whole month of October. With Disney's acquisition of Fox the following year, the channel, having already added the show itself, has also included marathons of The Simpsons ' long-running Halloween-centric sub-series Treehouse of Horror in

18975-529: The name – which was chosen among 3,000 proposals, was derided by some viewers on social media and news websites reporting on the pending rebrand, prompting Ascheim to note at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on January 9, 2016, that while it does not mind the "wholesome" perception given by the "ABC Family" name, it does "not necessarily represent" the network. An extensive campaign to promote

19140-421: The nearby girls schools." In 1948, the draft was reinstated and Robertson was given the option of joining the U.S. Marine Corps or being drafted into the U.S. Army ; he opted for the former. Robertson described his military service as follows: "We did long, grueling marches to toughen the men, plus refresher training in firearms and bayonet combat." In the same year, he transferred to Korea , "I ended up at

19305-566: The network as just "Fox Family" – on August 15, 1998. With the change in ownership, Fox Family's operations were also migrated from the Christian Broadcasting Network's headquarters in Virginia Beach , Virginia , and integrated with the operations of some of News Corporation's other cable channels in Los Angeles at the Fox Network Center (located on the 20th Century Fox backlot in Century City ). The MTM Enterprises library

19470-475: The network each weekday. The CBN Satellite Service grew its subscriber base to 10.9 million households by May 1981. On September 1, 1981, the channel was relaunched as the CBN Cable Network . At that time of the name change, it was concurrently repositioned as an advertiser-supported "family-friendly" entertainment network, although the channel continued to offer religious programs that occupied about

19635-463: The output of made-for-cable movies that were produced for the channel, which were among the few programs that Fox Family was doing well with. The changes cause ABC Family's ratings to tumble further as it became dependent on syndicated reruns, with no original programs on its schedule to back it up (with the exception of original wraparound segments that aired around repeats of The Bachelor , and children's programming). Another plan drafted by Disney

19800-535: The pilots' accounts. In its 2021 ranking of "100 Largest Charities," Forbes ranked Operation Blessing/CBN at #44, with an efficiency rating of over 90%. Robertson was the founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Inc. , and founder of International Family Entertainment Inc. , Regent University , Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, American Center for Law and Justice , The Flying Hospital, Inc., and several other organizations and broadcast entities. Robertson

19965-480: The programming format used by the independent television stations that CBN had owned (then based in six markets ) at the time of the rebrand. Additional programming that joined the CBN Cable lineup later in the decade included Hazel , Father Knows Best , The Big Valley , and Gunsmoke , plus foreign acquisitions The Campbells and Butterfly Island . Under the new format, the national distribution of

20130-474: The project. The feasibility study must cover the fundamental technical and commercial aspects of the project, before the parties can proceed to formalize the necessary legal documentation. The study should contain details referred to earlier under Feasibility Study (submissions by the Chinese partner). There is basic law of the PRC concerning enterprises with sole foreign investment controls, WFOEs. China's entry into

20295-500: The public. In January 1993, IFE purchased TVS Entertainment , a British broadcaster which owned MTM Enterprises , for $ 68.5 million. That year, International Family Entertainment and Flextech jointly launched an international version of The Family Channel in the United Kingdom ; on February 3, 1997, that channel eventually relaunched as the game show -dedicated network Challenge (an outgrowth of "Family Challenge Weekend",

20460-545: The rebrand began on the date of the announcement and encompassed the network's popular "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas" blocks during the fourth quarter of that year. Even so, the rebrand was mainly cosmetic in nature, as the network retained much of the programming it ran under its previous ABC Family identity, with those being carried over under the new brand including the 25 Days of Christmas and 13 Days of Halloween blocks, and religious programming (including its weekdaily airings of The 700 Club ); however,

20625-403: The regime of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez , as well as those regarding homosexuals , feminists , Muslims , abortion and many other social issues. On August 29, 2005, the disclaimers that appear before, during and after its broadcasts of The 700 Club were revised from "The following/preceding program is/was brought to you by CBN" to "The following/preceding CBN telecast does not reflect

20790-640: The regular season game telecasts migrated to ESPN outright beginning with the 2002 Major League Baseball season . A deal was later struck to move the playoff games to ESPN as well, starting with the 2003 season. Although the games aired on Disney-owned networks, Fox retained the exclusive right to negotiate a renewal of the contract after the 2006 season; Fox Sports chose not to renew the Division Series contract, with TBS acquiring those rights in 2007 as part of its new baseball contract . The channel's sale to Disney, however, would be considered one of

20955-413: The relaunch including a weekday-morning talk show, US a.m. and the faith-based soap opera Another Life . The network also aired – and was even involved in the production of a few of them – a handful of Christian or family-friendly animated series, including some anime – such as CBN's own co-productions with Japanese animation studio Tatsunoko Production , Superbook and The Flying House and

21120-414: The rights from Fox Sports Net (FSN), which aired the weekly telecasts across its regional sports networks (except in markets where the nationally televised game conflicts with scheduled sporting events involving local teams on the individual FSN outlet) from 1997 to 1999 – usually ran the games on either Thursday or Saturday nights. Starting with the 2001 season , the network also carried games from

21285-549: The rules applicable to public procurement in the European Union , public bodies may insist that suppliers intending to provide goods and services through a joint partnership accept joint liability for the execution of the contract. According to a 2003 report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development , China was the recipient of US$ 53.5 billion in direct foreign investment, making it

21450-464: The sale and integration into the company's Disney–ABC Cable Networks Group division. (The channel, as Freeform, would be reunited with three of its former sister cable channels under News Corporation ownership— FX , FX Movie Channel and National Geographic —through Disney's 2019 purchase of 21st Century Fox 's film and non-broadcast, entertainment-based television assets.) The sale to Disney included ownership of Saban Entertainment, including most of

21615-440: The same proportion as the increase in registered capital. The JV contract accompanied by the articles of association for the EJV are the two most fundamental legal documents of the project. The Articles mirror many of the provisions of the JV contract. In case of conflict the JV document has precedence. These documents are prepared at the same time as the feasibility report. There are also the ancillary documents (termed "offsets" in

21780-631: The school's catalog, "a regent is one who represents Christ, our Sovereign, in whatever sphere of life he or she may be called to serve Him." With more than 11,000 current students, Regent University has ranked the #1 Best Online Bachelor's Program in Virginia for ten years in a row by U.S. News & World Report 2022, as well as 2023 Best Graduate Schools-Law, Best Graduate Schools – Social Sciences and Humanities Doctoral Programs – Psychology, 2023 Best Graduate Schools – Public Affairs, and 2023 Best Education Schools by U.S. News & World Report . Robertson served as its chancellor and CEO. Robertson

21945-656: The seasonal "13 Nights of Halloween" and the "25 Days of Christmas" blocks. However, despite the network's refocusing towards the latter demographic, ABC Family/Freeform continues to air live and repeat broadcasts of The 700 Club every weekday. Jetix remained part of ABC Family's morning schedule until it was discontinued on August 31 of that year, with the block becoming exclusive to Toon Disney beginning on September 2, effectively removing children's programming from ABC Family altogether (programs targeted at that demographic have largely remained off of its lineup since that point). Repeats of acquired off-network programs began to fill

22110-406: The series premiere of Shadowhunters , a fantasy drama based on The Mortal Instruments series of novels by Cassandra Clare ), was motivated by audience testing that revealed that survey participants who watched ABC Family infrequently perceived it as being more family-oriented, in contrast to regular viewers who understood its focus towards the actual above-mentioned target demographic. However,

22275-435: The shareholders agreement as to the number of directors each founder can appoint to the board of directors; whether the board controls or the founders; the taking of decisions by simple majority (50%+1) of those present or a 51% or 75% majority with all directors present (their alternates/ proxy ); the deployment of funds of the firm; extent of debt; the proportion of profit that can be declared as dividends; etc. Also significant

22440-406: The short-lived comedy-drama series Freaks and Geeks , including episodes of the show that had not previously aired as a result of its 2000 cancellation by NBC , and broadcast more " romantic comedy "-themed original movies. Keeping kids and families in mind, the channel introduced the original series State of Grace (a half-hour period dramedy set in the 1960s, centering around a pre-teen from

22605-436: The sixtieth anniversary of the first telecast on October 1, 1961, of what eventually became CBN. Robertson founded CBN University, a private Christian university, in 1977 on CBN's Virginia Beach campus. Since its founding, the university has established eight academic schools and offers associate , bachelor's , master's , and doctoral degrees in over 150 areas of study. It was renamed Regent University in 1990. According to

22770-406: The struggles of an interracial lesbian couple with five adopted at-risk youths. The shift towards a more teen and young adult focus became more clear when Variety reported in a December 3, 2014, article, that ABC Family executives were proposing to relaunch the network as early as 2015, with options being considered including the expansion of programming appealing more toward young adults between

22935-557: The time Robertson announced he would be running in September 1987, he also had raised millions of dollars for his campaign fund. He surrendered his ministerial credentials and turned leadership of CBN over to his son, Tim. In 1987, he left the Southern Baptist Convention to run. Robertson ran on a standard conservative platform, and as a candidate he embraced the same policies as Ronald Reagan: lower taxes,

23100-479: The views of ABC Family." Disney would later make attempts to reach an agreement with Pat Robertson to buy out CBN's time-buy contract for The 700 Club and The 700 Club Interactive . Months prior to the announcement of the Freeform rebranding in 2015, Disney–ABC offered CBN a payment of $ 42 million – the same amount that the ministry earned in revenue during that year from syndication fees for The 700 Club and various related productions – for Robertson to terminate

23265-510: The word "Family" in the network's name in perpetuity. When Disney announced on October 6, 2015, that it would rebrand the network as Freeform, ABC Family president Tom Ascheim noted that there was no record of such a clause ever having been in place (although some published sources – including a reference in James B. Stewart 's book on former chairman/CEO Michael Eisner 's tenure at eventual owner Disney, DisneyWar – have only stated insofar that

23430-407: The word "Family" must be contained in the name of the channel for the entirety of its existence, no matter the owner. The "XYZ" branding was revisited at one point in 2003, for a program block titled "The XYZ", which featured live-action series and movies aimed at teenagers and young adults, a demographic that the channel would eventually choose to market its programming towards. Disney also inherited

23595-426: The world's largest recipient of direct foreign investment for the first time, to exceed the US. Also, it approved the establishment of nearly 500,000 foreign-investment enterprises. The US had 45,000 projects by 2004 with an in-place investment of over 48 billion. Until recently, no guidelines existed on how foreign investment was to be handled due to the restrictive nature of China toward foreign investors. Following

23760-487: The years in which Hilary Duff , who made her acting debut in the film, starred in the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire ). The block was temporarily suspended in 2003, following an overhaul of the channel's programming management under Disney. But it returned in 2004. A few years later, the 2002 live-action film adaptation of Scooby-Doo became part of its annual Halloween lineup. This continues to be one of

23925-547: Was a governing member of the Council for National Policy (CNP) and served on its Board of Governors in 1982, was the President of its Executive Committee from 1985 to 1986, and a member in 1984, 1988, and 1998. On November 7, 2007, Robertson announced that he was endorsing Rudy Giuliani to be the Republican nominee in the 2008 Presidential election . Some social conservatives criticized Robertson's endorsement of Giuliani,

24090-584: Was also founder and president of the American Center for Law & Justice , a public interest law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. , associated with Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia , which defends constitutional freedoms and conservative Christian ideals. Critics have characterized Robertson as an advocate of dominionism . Robertson's Operation Blessing organization sent medical teams to developing countries to help people who had no access to medical care. In 1994, in

24255-476: Was also set to launch in 1993. International Family Entertainment launched another cable channel, the Cable Health Club , on October 4, 1993, which was made available to cable providers without a carriage fee; the lineage of that network – which was later renamed FitTV – is traceable to the current-day Warner Bros. Discovery -owned network Discovery Life . The network gained more visibility when, for

24420-457: Was also used as a buffer to burn off series which failed to gain audiences during their runs on ABC, such as the reality competition series All American Girl , which featured Spice Girl Geri Halliwell . In trying to change the programming focus of ABC Family, Disney also canceled several original series that originated on the channel under its former identity as Fox Family (such as the 1960s-set period dramedy State of Grace ), and reduced

24585-472: Was altered to swap out the vertically aligned Fox wordmark placed on the left parenthetical fringe with ABC's legacy "circle" logo, and production music ), although it would begin using new continuity announcers. The network also revamped its programming lineup following the Disney acquisition. Partly to reduce competition with new sister network Disney Channel, which launched one year and nine months after what

24750-658: Was an American media mogul , televangelist , political commentator, presidential candidate, and charismatic minister. Robertson advocated a conservative Christian ideology and was known for his involvement in Republican Party politics. He was associated with the Charismatic movement within Protestant evangelicalism . He served as head of Regent University and of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Robertson's career spanned over five decades, and

24915-554: Was assumed by 20th Television . When Fox purchased the channel, programmers sought to reposition it to target a dual audience: children in daytime, families at night. Once the network became Fox Family, the new owners dropped nearly all of the programming that it aired under The Family Channel brand – which at that point included reruns of series such as Bonanza , The Rifleman , Carol Burnett and Friends , Hawaii Five-O , The High Chaparral , Rescue 911 and Diagnosis: Murder – and replaced them with shows that appealed to

25080-634: Was cancelled. Under the control of Murdoch and Saban, Fox Family saw its overall viewership slide from 10th to 17th place in the Nielsen cable ratings as a result of an increasingly competitive race for younger viewers (with the channel facing brisk competition from established children's cable networks Nickelodeon , Cartoon Network and eventual corporate sister Disney Channel ), and the bickering over ownership between News Corporation and Saban Entertainment founder and CEO Haim Saban , who eventually opted to exercise an option given by News Corporation to have

25245-553: Was conceptually impossible as ABC did not hold the syndication rights to the majority of its own programs, with the exception of those that were produced by its corporate parent's television production divisions, Walt Disney Television and Touchstone Television , which had their distribution rights held by Buena Vista Television . During this time, the channel did air same-season repeats of then-current ABC shows Alias , Less than Perfect , and Life with Bonnie , almost all of which were produced by Touchstone Television. The network

25410-717: Was eleven, Robertson was enrolled in the preparatory McDonogh School outside Baltimore , Maryland . From 1940 until 1946, he attended The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee , where he graduated with honors. He gained admission to Washington and Lee University , where he earned a B.A. in History, graduating magna cum laude . He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa , the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. He joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Robertson said, "Although I worked hard at my studies, my real major centered around lovely young ladies who attended

25575-479: Was increased by $ 500 million, to be spent on 20 original movies and 680 episodes of original series. In 1998, the company announced the launch of two digital networks spun-off from Fox Family - Boyz Channel and Girlz Channel , and both launched in October 1999. Both networks contained programming content targeted at the respective genders; both channels ceased operations after one year on the air in August 2000, due to

25740-431: Was merged into Fox Kids Worldwide, a joint venture between majority owners News Corporation and Saban (which each owned a 49.5% share in the company), and media investment firm Allen & Company (which owned the remaining 1%), which was subsequently renamed Fox Family Worldwide following the completion of the acquisition. The Family Channel was renamed Fox Family Channel – though on-air promotions typically referred to

25905-693: Was nominated for, but did not run in, the 2000 Kentucky Derby . Robertson was a past president of the Council for National Policy . In 1982, he served on the Victims of Crime Task Force for U.S. President Ronald Reagan . In Virginia, he served on the Board of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and on the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors. After his unsuccessful presidential campaign, Robertson started

26070-455: Was renamed Fox Family Channel . Disney acquired FFC in 2001 and its name was changed again, to ABC Family. The network was renamed to Freeform on January 12, 2016, though Robertson's sale of the channel continues to require Freeform to carry four hours of CBN/ 700 Club programming per weekday, along with CBN's yearly telethon . Robertson was a global businessman with media holdings in Asia,

26235-519: Was renamed " Jetix " in February 2004) that aired on weekday mornings, shows aimed at a broader family audience as well as those aimed specifically at teenagers, adults or both audiences also replaced the more kid-oriented shows in afternoon timeslots (Disney Channel simultaneously underwent its own demographic shift, dropping its remaining family-oriented programming with the September 2002 removal of its nightly vintage programming block, Vault Disney, in order to focus firmly on children and younger teenagers,

26400-494: Was the first satellite television channel in America to connect to cable systems across the country. The venture became extremely lucrative, so Robertson spun off The Family Channel as a commercial entity that was sold to News Corporation for $ 1.9 billion in 1997. In 1994, he endorsed the document " Evangelicals and Catholics Together ". Robertson announced his retirement at the age of 91 from The 700 Club in October 2021, on

26565-552: Was the founder and co-chairman of International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE). Formed in 1990, IFE produced and distributed family entertainment and information programming worldwide. IFE's principal business was The Family Channel, a satellite delivered cable-television network with 63 million U.S. subscribers. IFE, a publicly held company listed on the New York Stock Exchange , was sold in 1997 to Fox Kids Worldwide, Inc. for $ 1.9   billion, whereupon it

26730-581: Was the founder of several organizations, including CBN, Regent University, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation , the International Family Entertainment Inc. ( ABC Family Channel/Freeform ), the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), the Founders Inn and Conference Center, and the Christian Coalition . Robertson was also a best-selling author and the host of The 700 Club ,

26895-415: Was the only requirement that Robertson included in sales terms for the network to its subsequent owners. However, public assumption had conflated for many years that this sole existing stipulation was one of two that he included following the sale of the network by CBN; another contractual clause that Robertson was alleged to have added in the sale agreement to Fox required any future secular owners to maintain

27060-416: Was then CBN Cable adopted a family-focused entertainment format, the network heavily scaled back the amount of children's programming on its schedule, relegating the handful of programs that were retained to the morning hours. With this, the remaining Fox Kids shows that were on ABC Family's schedule became part of the "ABC Family Action Block", a new two-hour-long block of action-oriented animated series (which

27225-457: Was to re-position the channel to market it at a more hip audience, such as college students or young women, and rename it "XYZ," a reverse reference to ABC; however, this concept was ultimately dropped. The decision not to move forward with the "XYZ" rebranding had been alleged to be because of the stipulation reported to have been put in place within International Family Entertainment's original sale agreement to News Corporation by Pat Robertson that

#874125